


Sorcerers, Charms, and Love

by kaise



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Cat/Human Hybrids, Chaptered, Fluff, Kaihun - Freeform, Kim Bros, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Sorcerers, XiuChen - Freeform, it tells both the present and the past, its still xiuchen sekai lol, sekai - Freeform, sekai's story develops in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2018-12-14 00:51:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11772027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaise/pseuds/kaise
Summary: Jongdae meets two bundles of sunshine in the form of kittens, one black, and one white. But remember, there’s more than what meets the eye





	1. O N E

The sound of thunder followed by dripping noises from the torrential rains echoes throughout the quiet house. Jongdae, bundled inside his favorite light grey knitted blanket, props himself on the sofa, switching mindlessly across channels.

He stops at one that’s showing _Godzilla,_ the scene playing is when the main character is on the train tracks, pitch black in the night. Fitting to the evening Jongdae’s having.

Only a few minutes in the movie, there’s a loud couple of knocks on his front door and Jongdae smiles, knowing who exactly it is. He jumps out of his couch, eager to meet his guest of the night.

Jongdae opens the door to see Minseok grinning, his head completely wet from the rain. He’s holding a large brown box that almost drowns his front body, seemingly drenched from the rain too.

What’s inside the box, Jongdae is curious to know, but he lets the older inside first. He hurriedly runs to his room, grabbing a towel, and along the way, he takes the blanket that he prepared for Minseok.

As he hands both of it, Jongdae wonders, “You didn’t bring an umbrella?”

“No,” Minseok laughs, drying his hair with the towel, “I thought I had one in the car but turns out, I didn’t.”

“You’re in luck that you’re staying for the night, Minseok. Wait on the couch, I’ll make you a hot tea.”

After he earns a shaky nod, Jongdae walks silently into the kitchen, taking out a chamomile tea bag from one of his cabinets. He returns to the couch a few minutes later, holding the hot teacup as he carefully puts it on the coffee table.

Instead of sitting on the sofa, Minseok is cross legged next to the box, the blanket wrapped around his back as he’s looking into it. 

Before Jongdae can even sit properly next to Minseok, a soft meow comes from inside the box. He stares at Minseok in shock, his eyes widening as his lips form an ‘o’ shape, “what the hell was that?”

“Just look into the box,” Minseok tilts the box towards them, and Jongdae gasps, “Aren’t they adorable?”

Inside are two kittens, black and white short haired. There’s a small blanket underneath them, with the white kitten sleeping, and the black peering back up at them both.

The kittens are terribly dirty, hair covered with dried mud as if they had just gone under the rain and rolled over wet dirt. Jongdae realizes a second late that the white kitten has a small wound on one of its feet, and a feeling of pity settles in him.

“Where did you find them? Why are they so dirty?”

“One at a time, Jongdae,” Minseok laughs, his hand extending inside the box, offering it to the black kitten before it licks on his fingers. “I found them astray outside, abandoned. It looks like someone kicked them out, that’s why you can see the wound on the white one.”

Jongdae stares at the white kitten in silence, slowly growing mad at the scenario playing in his head where someone shooed them away with a broomstick or worst, throwing them by hand.

“How can someone be that heartless? These are two innocent kittens, wandering around for shelter and possibly something to eat and drink.”

“That’s what I thought. I’m glad I found them on time before someone else might leave them out in a ditch.”

Jongdae nods in agreement. His hand comes up to squeeze Minseok’s shoulder, giving the elder a satisfied smile, “You can call yourself a savior to these kittens, Minseok.”

“Thanks! I’m honored to receive the title of kitten savior,” smiling, Minseok’s hand then moves to caress the white kitten softly, “Or maybe I should call myself kittens’ knight in shining armor.”

The smile Jongdae had quickly faltered. He sighs at Minseok’s habit to make lame nicknames and jokes and motions him with another squeeze on his shoulder and a shake of his head to just _‘stop please.’_

Minseok breaks into laughter before he pulls his hand back and stands up, “I’m going to grab milk for the kittens. You have it in the fridge?”

Absentmindedly nodding, Jongdae’s eyes don't leave the white kitten as he pulls up his courage, his hand resting in front of the black kitten. He waits patiently until the black kitten steps forward to nuzzle its nose on his finger pads.

Jongdae’s lips tug into a smile, adoring the black kitten now trying its best to climb up his open palm. Minseok comes a few minutes later with a bowl of cold milk, leaving it on the floor before he gently cups the white kitten inside one of his palms, carrying it out.

His other hand grabs the blanket underneath before he spreads the blanket and moves the bowl on top of it. Gently, Minseok rests the white kitten near the bowl, the fragile kitten slowly awake and looking around its surroundings.

The kitten doesn’t bother standing up, and Minseok wouldn’t want to see the kitten going around writhing within every step. So he stands up, disappearing into Jongdae’s room.

Following behind, Jongdae carries out the black kitten with ease as the kitten had been on his palm. He puts it down right next to the bowl, the kitten quickly realizing the cold milk but before it decides to drink, the black kitten approaches the white kitten.

The black kitten gives small licks across the white kitten, including the rash on one of its feet and Jongdae sighs in admiration, adoring the little gesture. Then the black kitten dips its head lower into the bowl, slurping to quench its thirst.

Minseok comes back a few minutes later, the first aid kit and a small bowl of water in his hands as he sits closer to the white kitten. After taking out an antiseptic, he pours the solution into the water, stirring the mixture.

He takes a cotton pad, dipping it in the mixture before he carefully dabs it onto the scrape, stopping whenever the kitten writhes in pain. Out of his focus on dabbing the wound, Minseok suddenly mutters, “Do you know why I brought them here?”

“To shelter them here for awhile until you get back home?”

“No, I want you to look after them for me. Permanently, and in your house.”

“Wait, why do you want me to look after them? Two more shouldn’t be a problem for a cat whisperer like you!”

Putting away the mixed liquid and used cotton away from the floor, Minseok faces Jongdae with a look of understanding before his lips quirk into a smile. “You need them much more than you realize. Having them makes your house less lonely, and they’re great.”

“I don’t feel lonely at all,” as soon as he says that, Jongdae can feel that he just lied to himself. He does feel lonely at times, especially when he has nothing to do, “And I have you too, Minseok.”

“Actually, with these cats, I have more reasons to come to your house than just to meet you.”

Jongdae whines, causing Minseok to erupt in a satisfied laughter because at this point, he knows he’s won over Jongdae. One of Minseok’s hand grabs at Jongdae’s arm, pulling him closer before he slings his arm around the latter’s shoulder.

“Hey, we can start buying stuff tomorrow if you’d like. After all, I’m going to be the dad here since we’ll both take care of them.”

“Oh my god,” Jongdae shakes his head, recognizing very well where Minseok is going with his words, “You’re implying I’ll be the mom, I can’t believe you.”

“Or we’ll both be dads and moms. I’m open to any options.”

“Fine, we’ll take care of them but cut it with the mom and dad. You can just say we’re their parents, you know.”

“I get the glee from separating mom and dad roles,” earning a hard glare from the younger, Minseok chuckles, satisfied at annoying Jongdae. “I’ve named them, in case you’re wondering. The black cat is Nini, and the white cat is Huni.”

“Their names are so adorable, and it rhymes too! Your naming game is still strong, Minseok.”

“And it never weakens,” Minseok adds, grinning as he cups Nini in his palms, “Here’s another reason why their names rhymed.”

In the gentlest touch ever, Minseok pries open both of Nini’s eyes, showing it to Jongdae. “He has flip flop eyes. The right eye is blue, and the left is green. But let me show you Huni’s.”

The said kitten is laying down calmly, meowing when Minseok takes him in his palms. Nini, attentive of Huni being taken away tries grabbing onto one of Minseok’s hand but fails as he falls to the blanket.

At sight, Minseok smiles softly, fond of the kittens that he had found very clingy to each other. “A mental note, they stick to each other like glue. If you separate them, the other will come by in a blink.”

“I guess they’re together then?”

“You can say that but,” there’s hesitation flashing in Minseok’s eyes before he continues, “They’re both male kittens. I think it’s the work of nature and magic.”

“That doesn’t change anything, it makes them all the cuter. I’ve never even seen gay kittens. Had there been any kittens like them?”

“Not that I know of. Anyways, returning to where we left off. Look at Huni’s eyes.”

With the same gentleness he had with Nini, Minseok slowly pries open Huni’s eyes only to leave Jongdae wide eyed. There’s a moment of back and forth glances before it fully dawns on Jongdae.

“They both have flip flop eyes, but Huni’s got green on his right and blue on his left.”

“Which means?” Minseok’s voice trails. He waits patiently, intending for Jongdae to complete the set of a puzzle about the kittens’ eyes.

Jongdae gasps in his resolve, voice a higher octave and eyes squinting when he shouts, “Holy shit, they’re exact opposites! How? What kind of sorcery?”

“Amazing, isn’t it? I don’t know how they got it, but the universe is probably trying to tell us that they’re meant to be.”

“I wish our love is as meant to be as Nini and Huni’s.”

“Ouch, Jongdae. I thought our love is unmatched by no one, I thought there’s no parallel to us.”

“Well, we just found our match in the form of kittens,” Jongdae laughs as he stares at the kittens. Instead of competition, he thinks that they might’ve become his new found love.

As the night deepens, they spend the rest of it getting to know the kittens. Time slipping past their continuous laughter and adoration for the new residents in Jongdae’s house.

The air around them grows warmer with the company of Nini skipping around the living room, tripping once in a while on the carpet. Jongdae stares in awe when Nini comes around Huni, who’s fast asleep on the now messy blanket.

Seeing Nini resting his head on top of Huni, Jongdae decides that it’s time for him to sleep too. Minseok is missing, which he later sees him by the sink, washing the used bowl.

“I told you they’ll make you happier. I can already see it in your face,” Minseok says as soon as he closes behind Jongdae’s bedroom door.

“They’re the sweetest kittens ever, and I’m glad you brought them to us.”

“They’ll probably ruin your sofa one day or even steal your food in the fridge, but we just have to enjoy their innocent young days.”

“Way to ruin my split second joy, Minseok.”

Minseok breaks into laughter before he closes their distance, arms encircling around Jongdae’s waist as he stares at the younger. “Hey, they’re not a burden, aren’t they? You know that even though I push on this, there’s a line where you can say no.”

“They’re not, and I know. They’ll someday make a wreck of my living room, but at the end of the day, I’ll still love them.”  
“But is there any room left for me?”

“Do you need to ask?” Jongdae smiles before he leans in. Their lips meet in a fluttering moment, a good night kiss of theirs.

It was a brief and light kiss yet Jongdae’s face radiates when Minseok pulls away, causing the latter’s lips to form into a smile. With a tug on Jongdae’s hand, Minseok motions for him to the bed, laying on one side of the bed.

Without a second after Jongdae rests on the other side, Minseok pulls him into his embrace, face only an inch away. The content Jongdae feels inside his heart is undeniable as he whispers, “Good night, Minseok.”

The other is fast asleep, but he spares a second to respond, his voice coming out as a mumble, “Good night, Jongdae. Sleep tight.”

 

 

“Rise and shine, Jongdae!”

Opening the curtains, the dark bedroom suddenly becomes too bright for Jongdae to open his eyes. Minseok’s voice echoes into his ear, as he lazily stretches, backing away from the source of light.

“Come on, don’t be lazy! We’re going shopping for our cats.”

Jongdae groans before he squints his eyes, “What time is it?”

“It’s 9 AM” at this, Jongdae sighs. He honestly felt like it was only 7 am and if it were, he would’ve complained. “I saw the tuna you had in the fridge, and I gave the cats a little part of it.”

“I don’t mind. Just give me a sec, my soul isn’t here yet,” Jongdae mumbles as he sits up, rubbing his sleepy eyes. 

Minseok bursts into a chuckle, the sight of Jongdae rubbing his eyes, with his hair strewn everywhere makes it all funnier. Only when Jongdae walks into the bathroom in clumsy steps that Minseok heads out to check on the kittens.

The wound on Huni doesn’t heal overnight, but it looks better than yesterday. It no longer has dried blood as Minseok carefully replaces the bandage.

Nini puts one of his paws on Minseok, who’s smiling at the small touch. 

“He’ll be okay, Jongi-,” he abruptly cuts short as he’s shocked at what he almost blurted. Minseok sends his gaze around for the younger’s presence, glad to find that Jongdae is nowhere around.

In his deep sigh, Minseok looks back to Nini, finding the black kitten looking back at him. “I really need to get used to the nicknames I gave to you.”

Minseok almost missed the little nod Nini gives back to him. Leaning in slightly, Minseok tries his best to whisper without being too obvious.

“Don’t be too much pain in the ass at Jongdae, he’s still my boyfriend. Also, look after each other, okay.”

Another voice chimes in, startling Minseok as he leans back, seeing Jongdae walking towards him. “Are you giving them a pep talk?”

Jongdae is dressed in a casual outfit, white shirt and skinny jeans, flashing a grin at Minseok. He makes the run into the kitchen especially after the half-filled pot catches his eyes, his body screaming to have caffeine.

Minseok sighs in relief that Jongdae only catches him when he’s whispering. His head would throb for an explanation if the younger hears him calling Nini with an entirely different name.

“I'm nice. I asked the cats to take it easy on you and lay low with stealing the food in your fridge.”

“Let’s hope they take your words seriously,” sipping his coffee, he sighs deeply from the robust smell of it. “What time should we go? Do you want to bring Nini and Huni with us?”

“Right after you’re finished with your coffee. I was thinking of carrying them in my arms, but Huni is hurt.”

“I have a lunch basket.”

So there they are in the pet shop with Jongdae carrying a lunch basket, the top lid opened for the kittens. Jongdae sneaks a peek in the basket and mutters an “aww” under his breath at Nini licking and patting at Huni’s fur.

One of the attendants comes up to them, greeting with a warm smile, “Hi! How may I help you?”

“Do you perhaps know where Junmyeon is?”

At the mention of a name, the attendant looks around the store before she spots him, pointing at his direction, “There he is in the back. He’s with other customers.”

Muttering thanks, they both walk with careful steps as they bite back their laughter. It’s in their favor to always surprise Junmyeon whenever they come visit the shop.

Junmyeon is their best friend slash brother because he’s always been there and cared for them. They have a tight friendship from all those weird bonding times of cracking dad jokes and even as far as having a burping contest.

But hey, gotta love Junmyeon and his strong mentality for facing them both.

After the customers thank Junmyeon, they sneak up behind him before Minseok pulls the former into a back hug, surprising the poor boy. 

All three of them scream in unison but what makes a difference is only one person screams in shock from the other two’s scream. The two laughing boys had to spare Junmyeon a few minutes from his shock.

“You little shitheads! I nearly got a heart attack.”

“At least deep down in your fragile heart, you love us,” Minseok grins when Jongdae giggles at his remark.

“Sure, whatever. It’s a love hate anyways, not a full on hearts type of love.”

“A Doki Doki kind of love is only for me to Minseok,” the said boy cooed in response, earning an eye roll from Junmyeon. “But first thing’s first, we’re getting everything that a cat needs.”

“Two cats, actually.”

“You’re getting two more cats? What happened to Tan?”

“Tan is still my baby but look,” Minseok explains, taking the basket away from Jongdae’s hand and he opens it. At the sight of two kittens inside it, Junmyeon’s gasp quickly morphs to an awe.

Timidly, Junmyeon’s hand reaches to Huni, gently caressing the short white hair. His eyes catch the fresh wound on one of Huni’s legs, and he looks up, worry settles on his face.

“What happened to the white kitten? The wound looks pretty recent.”

“I found them in front of a porch. The owner of the house probably thought they’re trouble and decided that throwing them out into the rain is the best option.”

“A fucking douche,” Junmyeon mutters as his gaze to the white kitten turns softer, “you’re in good hands now. These two pricks make a great cat moms.”

Satisfied at Huni purring from his caress, Junmyeon pulls his hand away and motions for the couple to the cat aisle of the shop. Rows of necessities for cats align in an organized manner, such as foods, treats, collars, bowls, and much more.

The other side of the aisle mostly holds toys, clothes, beds, and more adorable accessories to spoil the cat. A bed that seems to fit two adult cats catches Minseok’s eyes from the pattern itself.

A simple white string is knitted into a wave pattern on the baby blue base color of the bed. It’s a regular bed with an enclosed top over it, resembling like a small cave and Minseok loves it.

Noticing the sparkle in Minseok’s eyes as he gawks at the cat bed, Junmyeon chuckles. “That’s one of our best sellers. I’m not even surprised that you love it.”

“How did I not see this when I bought a bed for Tan?”

“It’s always out of stock, Minseok. You’re in luck this time because this is the last one we have.”

“We’re taking that,” Jongdae chimes in, his lips curling into a smile. “These kittens had been nothing but a miracle to us.”

Minseok nods faintly. There’s a glint flashing in his eyes at Jongdae further explaining about the kittens, even as far as showing their eyes. 

The other two boys fail to notice Minseok’s split second of solemn, as his fingers run across the soft material of the bed. His thoughts are in a frenzy as images of two people dart through his wreck of a mind.

_If only they both knew the truth…_

After spending a few hours, they finally go on to the register and decide to split the bill with each other with more persuasion on Minseok’s side. 

It’s unbelievable how a few hours felt like an hour just trying to get what’s best for those two kittens. Not to mention their occasional banter and arguments on which toys they should buy first and Junmyeon sighing in the back.

With the help of Junmyeon, they manage to fit all the stuff they bought in Jongdae’s car. Noticing how late it is, Jongdae looks at his wristwatch to see it pointing at 1:15 pm and they both hadn’t had lunch.

Minseok is busy carrying the basket with the two kittens in his hand as he wipes away his sweat. Junmyeon, on the contrary, gives Jongdae another help in closing the trunk.

At the audible sound of his stomach grumbling, Jongdae sighs from being thirsty and now, hungry from all the carrying. “Junmyeon, do you still have your lunch break? If yes, come eat with us.”

“Stay here. I’ll check with my boss, and if he lets me, I’ll get back to you.”

“20 minutes, Junmyeon,” Minseok claps as if to motion for the said boy to hurry. Junmyeon turns around and rushes inside the shop but not before he gives them a scowl.

A few minutes later, Junmyeon comes running out of the shop, giving the two other boys both of his thumbs up. They then grin mischievously before hopping inside the car.

Minseok’s driving in turn of Jongdae’s deal earlier, and Junmyeon is busy listing all the restaurants he knows near the shop.

“Burger is my mood right now. Is there any good burger chain around here?” Jongdae sighs in his seat, his eyes looking around for at least Burger King.

“I know one that has some juicy cheeseburger. Turn right around the corner.”

Driving on the empty street, Junmyeon finally points at the burger place, and Jongdae doesn’t waste any time after Minseok parks the car in an empty spot. They all walk in the glass door as Minseok chuckles at Jongdae almost running to an empty table.

Knowing already what each other wants without looking at the menu, they called out for the waiter and ordered on their own. They bicker at their glee, realizing they ordered the same thing, cheeseburgers with a side fries.

The drinks are served first, and the three of them promptly thank the waiter before sipping on their drinks. After a moment of pure silence, Junmyeon’s voice cuts in. 

“So where will the kittens be at? Yours or Jongdae’s?”

“Mine,” Jongdae raises his hand up, his other free hand is busy lifting the cold cup of his coke. “Minseok said that he can’t have two more cats in his house. He doesn’t want to turn into a grandpa.”

Both Minseok and Junmyeon bursts into laughter, with Minseok waving his hand and shaking his head in disagreement. “It’s nothing like that!”

Junmyeon and Jongdae are quick to counter back with banters on the oldest, leaving no room for Minseok to explain why he couldn’t let Huni and Nini in his house. 

Minseok sulks in his dismay, his sighs are getting deeper as the other two are busy bickering that he’s “slowly turning old and fray from Tan” and “Tan is probably always giving a hard time.”

“Come on guys, spare me two cents to defend myself!”

After the other two calms down from their bickering and laughter, they both glance at Minseok as a gesture for him to continue what he was trying to say.

“Tan had been a lone cat for years, and she gets so feisty around new cats. I don’t think having Nini and Huni around will be nice for her.”

“So Tan is giving you a hard time,” Junmyeon concludes, his voice trailing before he erupts in another laughter. 

Jongdae following not far behind, giggling more at the flashback when Tan made a wreck at Minseok’s kitchen. Minseok takes a deep breath only for him to sigh again because those two won’t stop laughing for another minute.

And living up to Minseok’s expectations, their laughter only subsides when they’re being served with their burgers, and neither of them spares a breath to talk anymore.

As for how eating always goes between them, only munching and gulping with occasional slurping noises can be heard from either of them. Like the hungry boys they are, their burgers are eaten at no time.

What comes next is Jongdae accidentally letting out a loud burp, and Minseok falling into fits of laughter, only Junmyeon continues eating his fries after a quick snort.

“Still on the same topic, Minseok will help me take care of Nini and Huni.”

“Take care of them as if you’re their parents ok,” Junmyeon gives them a mental reminder before he points at Jongdae specifically, eyes gleaming threateningly. “If you throw them out in the ditch, I’m throwing you out of our circle.”

“I’m so offended that you even think that I would throw them out. I thought I’m the most caring between us, no?”

“Not really, that’s me though,” Junmyeon winces exaggeratedly at Jongdae’s pinch on his forearm. 

“What I’m trying to say is, please take good care of them. They’re so precious and the fact that they’re together and exact opposites? I think their existence is a blessing to you.”

Jongdae beams, his eyes flickering to the basket right next to him on the chair. “I know they are. You know you can always check on them anytime you want, Junmyeon.”

“I know I can, I always do for Tan too,” only at this does Minseok forms a groggy smile. They fail to notice that throughout the conversation, Minseok had stayed quiet, but then it’s a known habit that Minseok does a lot.

Only this time, he has his own reasons for staying quiet among them.

Junmyeon, like the quirky and weird self-conscious person he is, raises one of his fries up to the air. Jongdae is terribly confused, and he seeks for an explanation from Minseok, only to get a shrug of the latter’s shoulders.

“Cheers to you both being cat moms!”

Understanding what Junmyeon meant with the fries, Jongdae sighs in his seat and Minseok massages his temple as an attempt to soothe his headache at Junmyeon’s antics.

It takes some time for the other two to raise their own separate fries, and Jongdae had a little bit more fun of raising three fries at the same time. All three shout in unison, “Cheers!” before their fries meet in a clink —without the clinking noise—. 

“To eventful years to come with Huni and Nini by your side.”

The strange glint is present again in Minseok’s eyes, and now, Jongdae notices it. However, he fails to discern what makes Minseok’s eyes sparkle in a way that Jongdae doesn’t understand.

He shrugs it off, thinking that there will be eventful years to come by having the two kittens around, _right?_


	2. T W O

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry that I can only update the fic by now! ;;;; I had been juggling my college schedule, and this is my first sem starting my studio class. I've only started adjusting my time management to studio's hectic assignments~ 
> 
> Here it is, the 2nd chapter!  
> I hope you'll enjoy it, and once again, I'm so sorry :( I can't say that I'll update fast on my fic, but I will definitely try!
> 
> p.s. I miss sekai :(

Four months fly by fast from the first time Jongdae welcomed Nini and Huni into his house. They’ve quickly become the sole reason for his excitement to get home from his job as a barista in a cozy café downtown.

Don’t get him wrong; he’s a fan of brewing coffee, more so when he sees Minseok smile every time he made him coffee. There’s just something special with those two cats, charming indeed.

At first, he needed some time getting used to his two fellow cats who would make sounds and meows out of nowhere in the middle of the night. 

Jongdae would think that a cat broke into his house, but he rolled his eyes and palmed himself when he remembered that those are his cats.

Jongdae had expected to love them regardless of the mess they make, but it becomes worse. They’ve turned him into a softie when he’s already one.

“What are you doing, Nini?!” Jongdae’s voice a higher octave, echoing throughout the kitchen when he sees Nini holding onto the fridge’s handle.

The said cat is still clinging onto the handle, trying his best to pry open the fridge door. Jongdae clicks his tongue, shaking his head as he carefully pulls away Nini.

“You little rascal,” Jongdae mutters.

The cat slips his toe bean paw away the handle but not before he wails to complain, his meow coming off cutely.

Jongdae sighs, knowing well that Nini is looking for his tuna. So he puts down Nini on the floor and takes out Nini’s bowl onto the table. 

He prepares the tuna like he always does, a cooked tuna with corns. While he does so, he makes one for Huni, leaving him in less of a hassle to prepare another one later.

After prepping and separating the meal, he puts one next to Nini, which he reluctantly walks away, causing a mild confusion to Jongdae. 

He follows the black kitten with a question hanging in his mind, but he soon finds an answer when Nini sits next to Huni. Nini promptly nudges his head to Huni’s sides, gesturing that their food is ready.

Those two cats never fail to make Jongdae smile even in his worst days and to see how affectionate Nini always is while Huni is injured urges Jongdae to protect them at all cost. 

He lets both of the bowls near them, his hand coming up to comb Huni’s hair. His eyes trail to the new skin that is slowly starting to develop on the wound.

It hadn't fully healed yet but rest assured, it’s getting better and better each day. It’s showing progress that Huni no longer needs a bandage wrapped around it anymore.

Huni, with his leg healing, is starting to show his true colors and he is one high spirited kitten.

Huni always tries running around the living room with Nini following behind him before he prowls onto the white kitten. From the newly healed wound, Jongdae understands why Nini keeps on tailing a hyper Huni around, making sure to keep an eye.

Frankly, Jongdae is glad they can rely on each other. At least when he’s not around, they have each other.

The sound of his doorbell ringing across the house alarms Jongdae as he momentarily forgets he’s welcoming two additional guests for the evening.

He opens the door and smiles warmly at Minseok and Junmyeon waving their hands, entering the door to his house. Not a minute passes by and Junmyeon is already calling out for Nini and Huni, a loud snort from Jongdae doesn’t come as a bother.

“Hey, they don’t like to be bothered when they’re eating,” Jongdae warns at the sight of Junmyeon crouching down the two cats.

“What happens if I annoy them?”

Without waiting for an answer, Junmyeon pats Nini on the head. The black kitten pauses only to hiss, obviously annoyed before he continues where he left off.

Stunned in his seat, Junmyeon stares at the couple with his wide eyes and arms raised up in surrender. The couple breaks into laughter, finding the look of bafflement too funny for them to handle.

Jongdae shakes his head in amusement; he knows one way or another, Junmyeon will go against his warnings anyways to fulfill his curiosity. Between the three of them, Junmyeon knows the least about cats when he has a dog instead, Byul.

That doesn’t stop him from playing with Tan and now Nini and Huni. 

Waiting for the two kittens to eat, Junmyeon sneakily leans in, checking out Huni’s wound. He pulls back, sitting near them. 

“I can’t wait for Huni to heal completely. He’s such a ball of sunshine and so active.”

“A ball of sunshine, yes I love him for that. Active,” Jongdae heaves a heavy sigh, gesturing with his opens arms, “See what I mean?”

Forgetting who’s next to him, Jongdae shrieks when he jerks forward from a punch, his head snapping to see Minseok arching his brows at him.

Minseok is a little bit more protective about the cats than Jongdae is, so he guesses, _doesn’t that make Minseok more of a cat mom than I am?_

“I just don’t want him to get hurt,” Jongdae whines, eyes pleading to Minseok, “Nini seems to understand that because he would tackle Huni if he’s getting too active.”

Minseok’s lips quirk as he walks away from Jongdae, taking his seat next to Junmyeon. He pats Nini on the back and gets no reaction in return.

Seeing this, Jongdae stares at Minseok, appalled. Neither he and Junmyeon ever get ignored when they pat the kittens while they’re eating.

The least they would react is a hiss, but they can scratch if they’re feeling feisty. And all of a sudden, Minseok is here, getting neither of them.

Failing to understand behind Junmyeon’s equally shocked face directed at him, Minseok glances at the two in confusion. His brows arch when the realization hits him, bursting into a nervous laugh.

Minseok shrugs his shoulders, his hand moving to pat Huni and in a similar fashion, receiving no response from the kitten.

The two gawks in amazement, gasping loudly, but they almost sound like they’re offended. Minseok grins in satisfaction, impressed at Nini and Huni for not reacting to him even though he’s quite sure they would.

“I told you both, I’m the greatest cat whisperer this century will ever see.”

They rest it at that because apparently, what they see says so. Only until Junmyeon mumbles a confession, eyes painstakingly droopy, that they start laughing again.

“I wish I was a dog whisperer to Byul. She's so sensitive these days.”

“What’s going on with your baby?”

“She just keeps ignoring me when I wanted a cuddle or hug.”

Junmyeon’s voice dips into a somber tone, his lips are frowning as he stares blankly at the two kittens eating by his side. Knowing Junmyeon well inside out —figuratively and literally— and how exaggerating he can get about Byul, Jongdae snorts.

“How many times does Byul ignore you?”

“A couple of times throughout the day, for almost a week now.”

“Last question: is she still cuddling with you on bed anyways? She never growls at you, right.” Junmyeon nods, sulking at his fate with Byul but Jongdae’s agitated scream takes over across the house. 

Leading up to an argument between them, Jongdae makes a solid reason that Junmyeon raises his hands in surrender, again, accepting his in denial that he over exaggerates.

The rest of the day goes by as ordinary as it is, with a couple of amusing things happening mostly to Junmyeon. He doesn’t quite get a grip around his way with cats.

His attempts to give them treats only succeed once, where Nini takes the cat treat in his palm before walking away towards Huni, passing the treat to him. All three watch the spectacle in awe, adoring the caring gesture.

This isn’t even the first time that Nini passes his treat for Huni to eat. Jongdae notices that quite a lot especially when it comes to Nini being a rascal and trying to steal food from the fridge. 

When it’s food time, Nini would walk away and direct them to Huni, wanting to eat his food with Huni by his side.

_These two kittens have way stronger game than I do to Minseok._

The spectacle quickly evolves to Huni tackling Nini, pulling him into a tight hug from his two small paws. Three adult men ogling at their cuteness, there’s honestly nothing weird about it and can be considered as normal.

Getting worked up with the tackling and chasing each other, Nini lays down on the floor first, with Huni noticing a few seconds later that Nini is no longer in his playful mood.

One thing Jongdae makes sure to remember is to never separate them when they’re clingy and lazing out together. 

Jongdae learns it the hard way, to the first time that he separated them because he wants to treat Huni’s wound. He lifted Huni away from Nini, the white kitten wailing under his hand as he aggressively meowed at him.

At the scratch from one of Huni’s paws, Jongdae flinches in pain, but his reflexes are careful enough with his hold on Huni. It left a scar, and it healed, but it’s still pretty visible up to this day since it happened recently.

That day he concluded that they just don’t want to be separated when they’re together.

Which is why Jongdae has a panic attack when he sees Minseok trying to lift Huni away from Nini just as they’re busy snuggling in each other’s embrace. 

“Minseok, don’t do that! They’ll—,” Jongdae stops mid-sentence from his breath hitching at Huni wailing his paws around without scratching a tiny part of Minseok’s hand whatsoever.

“I don’t know what kind of luck you’re having, but they always scratch you if you do that.”

“I think they recognize me as their mom.” 

Minseok shrugs his shoulders, dismissing the matter. Huni doesn’t stop whining in his hand, paws wailing around until he stands on one of his open palms.

“Well you were the one who saved them,” Jongdae continues staring in a daze, but his mind registers the remark a second late before he whines in complaint. 

“Hey, what about me?”

Heck, Jongdae really feels like he’s more of Nini and Huni’s babysitter instead of mom. His stomach coils in disappointment at his kittens’ attitude towards him.

_The irony of my kittens being fond over my boyfriend more than me._

“Don’t worry, they love you too but not as much as they do to me!”

Sulking deeper in his disappointment, Jongdae approaches Minseok, who’s having Nini climbing up into his lap and Huni struggling to get off from his palm. Sitting comfortably, Jongdae timidly reaches out to Nini.

“Here,” Minseok guides Jongdae’s hand to caress and pat on Nini’s head, “Make sure he’s comfy with you before you carry him.”

Waiting for any signs that Nini is complying to his gesture, he finally sees a green light when the black kitten starts purring around his fingers. Careful in every move he does, Jongdae lifts up Nini into his palm, and to his surprise, Nini is obeying him.

Minseok grins at the sight, he elbows the younger as a teasing nudge. “See? You’re getting there. Baby steps, Jongdae, remember that.”

“Thanks for guiding me. I’ll be rivaling your cat mom instincts and gestures soon enough!”

“Don’t be too confident,” shaking his head, Minseok chuckles before he stares at Jongdae to find the younger’s gaze on him. 

Suddenly in their bubble, Minseok leans into Jongdae, and their lips meet in a slow yet heart fluttering kiss. Their lips move in a steady rhythm, sighing in appreciation between each of their turning heads. 

Tuning out the rest of the world including the kittens under their arms, they completely forget the presence of a third person in the room. 

Junmyeon, who was staring at the interaction from afar rolls his eyes at his fate as a third-wheeler. Though he feels the sheer loneliness from having his two best friends making out in front of him, he sneaks a shot of those two from his phone camera.

The shot turns out cute, of Jongdae and Minseok kissing with Nini and Huni in their separate arms. Looking up from his phone, Junmyeon gasps in shock as if he’s traumatized from the view.

He spots a tongue between those lips molding each other that if he lets this go on, they might as well fuck in front of him. So, Junmyeon does what he’s best at.

“I would say get a room you two, but I’m in your house. So, can you hold your thirsts back until I get home?”

At Junmyeon’s irritated voice, Minseok pulls away, staying unfazed as he only smiles fondly at Jongdae. In the other hand, Jongdae stares back; wide-eyed before he clasps his hand over his mouth. 

“There’s no need to hide your mouth, Jongdae. I’ve. Seen. It. All,” Junmyeon emphasizes on each word, head shaking in misery as he thoroughly feels he’s scarred for life.

Junmyeon scoffs after he earns a teasing smirk from Jongdae in return. He spends a while to recuperate from the couple’s heavy make out that he excuses himself for a breather.

After the unfortunate boy leaves to the small back yard, the couple starts cackling to their self, focusing back to the kittens. Unsurprisingly, Huni is hugging Nini on their laps, and Jongdae starts falling for them all over again.

 

 

“Did you eat my macaroons?”

Minseok’s angry voice blares, stomping his feet as he enters Jongdae’s room. Dumbfounded, Jongdae looks up from his phone and stares at the boy walking towards him.

He gets more of Minseok’s accusing glare, demanding an answer to his dilemma before he raises his arms up in defeat.

“Trust me, I didn’t eat them. Nini and Huni did!”

“I can’t believe you’re blaming those sweet cats.”

“They’re only super sweet to you, Minseok. They can be little shits too.”

There’s a moment of silence passing by with Minseok contemplating before he finally agrees on the other’s statement, a look of pride on his face. It then shifts into the light brown haired boy’s attempt to look serious.

“How should I believe that Nini and Huni are the culprits?”

“Easy. They’ve been attempting to pry open the fridge. Those intelligent beings finally succeeded after I caught them redhanded last week, laying inside the fridge.”

It is entirely true that they had been eyeing the fridge ever since they’ve adapted to Jongdae’s house. Every time Jongdae opens the refrigerator, either Nini or Huni would lurk behind him and try sneaking a peek at the goodies inside.

Only for Jongdae to close the sweet sight quickly, their agenda too obvious.

After prying it for months and watching the pattern of Jongdae’s hands on the handle, they probably figured how to open it. It honestly came as a baffle to Jongdae because he didn’t expect for them to turn into little rascals in 7 months staying in his house.

“But they were only laying down? Your house probably got too hot for them.”

“No, Nini was laying down, but Huni was eating my leftover fish balls. I nearly went ballistic at them, but they had their beady eyes on me, as per usual.”

“And your kind of ballistic is just more whining,” Minseok mumbles, stifling his small chuckle as he earns a glare from the other. 

Waving his hand in dismissal, Jongdae looks at Minseok dead in the eye. “Anyways, case put to rest. The cats are the culprit to your missing macaroons.”

“Fine. I’ll buy another box later, but I won’t put it in your fridge.”

“Nice of you to tell me, Minseok,” Jongdae’s voice clear of sarcasm.

Delighted at his though of getting a new box of macaroons, Minseok sticks his tongue out teasingly to Jongdae. He waltzes himself outside the room, leaving the door open. 

Jongdae, laying back down on his bed, rolls his eyes at his boyfriend’s sudden turn of a joyful manner.

But his ears perk up at the audible gasp coming from outside just as the older boy left. It wasn’t Huni, neither was it Nini but _Sehun?_

There’s silence after the gasp and Jongdae ponders on what or who exactly is Sehun and why was Minseok calling his name.

He could only come up with a phone call that Minseok probably got from one of his friend that has the name Sehun. There’s just one flaw in it, almost all of Minseok’s friends is Jongdae’s too.

And he’s very sure no one is named as Sehun.

Jongdae brushes off the confusion, maybe Minseok has a coworker that goes by that name. Why is he paranoid to even start with?

He closes his eyes for a quick nap, but his mind is just rambling about the name. Why it’s bugging him this much, Jongdae doesn’t know, but he sure can’t close his eyes for a nap anymore.

 

 

So much has happened the past month that closing into a year of having Nini and Huni around feels so quick. The kittens have grown, but in Jongdae’s eyes, they just turn snugglier for him to hug.

Huni’s wound had come to a complete heal, and it’s growing hair on the wound area. It isn’t necessary for Nini to bring food for him anymore, but the black cat still does so.

_Such a sweetie to his love._

Jongdae’s heart is in his fondest state because of the two fluff balls, and although they’re little shits, they love cuddling with him on the bed. It’s like building a small cocoon of warmth between the three of them, additionally Minseok too.

The older just got his hair dyed into pink and Jongdae is a little too in love with it. He weighs on the possibility for himself to dye his hair to a lighter color, maybe starting with an ash blonde.

While speaking of the boy, Jongdae still can’t figure out who’s the mysterious Sehun. He once visited Minseok’s workplace, and his endeavor turned into a fail since he met none with the name.

Jongdae couldn’t manage to ask out of his dying curiosity. Until one day, it all falls south from Minseok accidentally blurting a different name in front of him.

He almost thought the pink haired boy was calling him, but no, it’s _Jongin,_ not Jongdae.

“Who were you calling, Minseok?”

“I was calling out your name, didn’t you hear?”

A nervous smile tugs at the older’s lips as his eyes blink rapidly out of his tense. For someone who just met Minseok, he looks the same, but for someone who’s his almost husband, it’s crystal clear that Minseok is cold sweating.

Jongdae squints his eyes in suspicion, not falling for Minseok’s counter question. He sighs before he bluntly points out, “You were calling for Jongin, not Jongdae. There’s little but obvious difference, Minseok.”

“No, I didn’t say that! I called your name, not Jongin or whatever that is.”

“Please don’t lie to me,” Jongdae massages his temples, sighing at the prospect that Minseok is attempting to lie when he never does. “Remember our promise? No lies between us, only truth.”

“I’m not lying to you.”

Minseok’s voice is suddenly shaky, but his face pales when Jongdae mumbles, “First I heard you calling out Sehun and now, Jongin. Who are they?”

There’s a long moment of silence as Minseok dips his head low, staring and smoothing Huni’s hair while the cat is leisurely resting on his lap. He weighs on the option of either telling him the truth at that moment or if he should hold back.

After letting the thought float in his mind, Minseok looks up, expression surprisingly unreadable by Jongdae. “I will tell you in Nini and Huni’s one year anniversary. Can you wait?”

“As long as you tell me what you’ve been hiding.”

“I definitely will. You have my words on that, Jongdae.”

“Fine, I’ll wait until their anniversary,” Jongdae releases a deep sigh, feeling less tense at the response after a taunting silence from the older.

He shakes his arms around, trying to shake off the rest of the tense feeling as he walks towards Minseok, sitting next to him silently. He rests his hand on top of Minseok’s neglected hand, causing the latter to look up to him.

“I trust you, Minseok. You should know that I will never doubt you.”

“That’s why I love you. Thank you for deciding to wait, sweetie.”

Jongdae gushes at the nickname, cheeks blossoming in heat. It’s a rare occurrence to have Minseok calling him a cute nickname out of the blue, but Jongdae loves and cherishes every bit of it.

“I love you too, sweetie,” Jongdae responds, voice so sickeningly sweet and in love that Minseok fondly smiles back at him.

His smile is short lived when Jongdae suddenly mumbles sheepishly, “Can I get a little hint of what or who it’s about?”

“I expected this. I was thinking that it’s so unlike Jongdae for not fishing a hint.”

“I am not myself if I don’t ask for a spoil,” his grin turns wider as he gives his best shot on his pleading eyes, “So?”

“I’m not giving you an insider scoop this time.”

Jongdae whines at the unexpected answer, he had high hopes that his beloved boyfriend will at least give him a little spoil like he always does. Although the flip of that is, it must be so important and significant for Minseok to not give out spoilers.

Sitting silently on the side, Minseok sneaks a side glance to Jongdae, and his heart softens at the sight of the younger pursing his lips, eyebrows furrowed as if in deep thought.

_This won’t be easy…_

“It’s about me, Jongdae.”

 

 

The remaining months before the anniversary keeps haunting Jongdae. The wait for what Minseok wants to tell is agonizing, but at least it’s almost over because _tomorrow_ is Nini and Huni’s anniversary.

Jongdae is both keen and terrified, it’s honestly so overwhelming for him. Minseok only makes it worse when he decides to stay over for the anniversary because it’s that big of news he’ll be revealing.

He’s also been unusually insecure about Jongdae’s love for him. Minseok would suddenly hug him from behind all of a sudden, his chin resting on his shoulder, and lips pursing.  
“Will you still love me, Jongdae?”

“Wait, what’s up with you? You’re never like this, Minseok.”

“Just please answer me. Will you still love me no matter what happens?”

“You’re actually scaring me right now, but of course. I’ll always love you.”

“And that’s enough for me. I love you too, so much.”

His mind drifts off into thoughts that he missed the call from the cashier. Jongdae snaps out of his daze, apologizing for the holdup, but the cashier waves him off.

He’s buying groceries, as Minseok had the idea to bake a cake for Nini and Huni for their anniversary. It’s a brilliant and cute thought that Jongdae felt sorry he didn’t come up with it first when they’re his cats.

They decided on Minseok’s favorite cake that he always baked for, Strawberry Mousse Cake. The image of the cake itself is ravishing in Jongdae’s thought, his anticipation growing even more.

After the cashier finishes scanning all the groceries he bought, Jongdae pulls out his card and swiftly inserts it into the card reader. He thanks the cashier when he’s done with the payment, taking away the small grocery cart he brought with him.

He drives back home, eager to get back so he can bake the cake with Minseok. He sends his gaze momentarily across the sky, the previously orange hue had turned dark while he was shopping.

Jongdae couldn’t hide his surprise when the clock on his screen says it’s 8:31 pm, and he’s been out for almost an hour.

The minute he opens the door, the sight of Minseok laying down on the sofa with Nini and Huni sprawled out on his chest warms his heart so much.

He couldn’t help but let out a long “awww,” causing Minseok’s head to snap at him, a surprised look on his face before it settles into a fondness. Before Minseok can even lift the cats away, Jongdae gestures for him to stay, walking over as he drops the groceries by the feet of the sofa.

“Let me take a quick pic, you’re too adorable with them.”

After Jongdae is done taking a couple of pics, Minseok then carefully lifts them both away. Carrying the grocery bag with them, they walk towards the kitchen, preparing the utensils and taking out the ingredients.

The next few hours go by with noises coming from the kitchen, and Nini’s ears keep perking at the sound, curious what his two owners are doing. He only sneaks a peek when the smell of hot pot reaches his nose.

“Why are we making such a big portion of hot pot, Minseok?”

“Just do so, and you’ll see why we need a lot later in midnight.”

Jongdae has so many questions running through his head from that one sentence from Minseok, but he’ll just have to wait for a few more hours until he gets his answers. 

_I can do this, I can wait for him patiently._

By the time their hot pot is ready, the alarm on the oven dings, a sign that Jongdae’s sponge cake is fully baked. Checking it before he takes them out, Jongdae dips in a stick, and the stick comes off clean from all the cake in the pan.

Carefully with the help of oven mitts and Minseok beside him, he deliberately takes it out, leaving it on the counter, so it cools off. 

Jongdae layers the cake one on top of another, and in between layers has a spread of strawberry cutlets and puree. Finishing off with a clean white mousse covering it, Minseok carefully paints a black cat and white cat using melted chocolates on it.

It comes off as a messy cat drawing and Jongdae laughs at the result of the decoration, earning a slap of mousse onto his cheeks from the pink haired boy. 

Gasping at the sudden intrusion for a mousse war, Jongdae slips the cake quickly into the fridge before he dips his fingers in the mousse.

Minseok is starting to walk away, his arms covering his face in defense as he grins in glee. In a quick motion, Minseok leans forward to dip his fingers quickly into the mousse, so he has some back up if Jongdae gets to him.

“That’s not fair! You got mousse all over my cheek, and now you’re going to do more?”

“Yes, because I declare a mousse fight with you,” Minseok says in brooding confidence, jutting his chin.

Taking the small chance, Jongdae steps forward, pokes his mousse covered finger onto Minseok’s face and jackpot, he got mousse all on the latter’s nose bridge. The next hour is just both of them having mousse fight while trying their best to not get mousse from the other.

Jongdae winds up losing, having mousse up from his face until his shirt, leaving behind a messy counter and a laughing Minseok. Even though by age, Minseok is older than him, he’s incredulously so quicker and agile than he is.

When the time was close to 11:30 pm, Jongdae excuses himself to the showers, ignoring Minseok’s plea to stay cleaning the kitchen despite the mess. A good hot shower sounds so nice for the night, and he’ll be ready then at Nini and Huni’s anniversary.

Turning on the faucet as the water hits him, Jongdae sighs in content, indulging in hot water. Thoughts about his life suddenly come rushing in, and he thinks about Nini and Huni, how they’ve been in his life for precisely a year.

Minseok’s laughter suddenly echoes into his bathroom, and he grins under the shower, thankful to have someone so similar yet so different to love him. It’s been 3 years since they dated and every day, Minseok remains as Jongdae’s haven.

Regardless of what Minseok will tell on midnight, Jongdae is positive, that he’ll still love him anyways. Slipping out of the shower, Jongdae dries himself with a towel, another towel on his wet hair.

He takes his time to brush his teeth, and washing his face, all the necessities he always do after he showers. There’s suddenly a muffled yelp outside his door, and he chuckles knowing that it’s Minseok, probably slipping on the carpet.

It follows with Minseok’s muffled voice, but to Jongdae’s surprise, there’s another voice in the room, and he doesn’t know whose it is? 

He’s very sure there’s someone else, but as he pauses on his face serum, _was that a whole different voice? Two distinct voices that’s not even Minseok’s or Junmyeon’s!_

Finishing his routine as quickly as possible with a piqued interest, Jongdae eavesdrop through the bathroom door. 

To his revelation —even though he was almost entirely sure that there were different voices—, Minseok is talking with someone, two people to be exact. 

The only wild thought that came to his mind is, _did Minseok let these two strangers in his house?! What the hell?_

“But Hyung, none of his shirt fits me. You should’ve expected this to happen to us.”

“At least his shorts kinda fit me. Even though it turns into makeshift bike pants.”

“Just grab one of his hoodies. They’re good for now. Sorry, I didn’t buy any clothes for you guys, we’ll go shopping tomorrow. Wait, I mean today.”

Fueled by anger and curiosity, Jongdae bursts open the door with the towel around his waist, aiming for a dramatic impression. He finds himself screaming at the two unknown tall figure standing next to Minseok.

The other three turn their heads towards the source of the deafening scream. Minseok’s wide eyes goes back on forth from the two unknown guys and Jongdae, thinking a way to introduce them to him.

But he’s cut short with Jongdae’s accusing glare and angered eyes, “Minseok, who are they? Who the fuck are you both?”

“Please just calm down, sweetie. I can explain it to you.”

“This is not the time that you call me sweetie and don’t tell me what to do. Did you take in two strangers inside my house?”

“Calm down, Jongdae. Please,” Minseok pleads, taking small steps forward. Jongdae in an angered state is rare that it becomes a scary sight. “You won’t be able to understand what I’m explaining if you’re angry.”

Jongdae crosses his arms as he breathes in and out steadily. The damp brown hair is slightly covering his eyes, but it doesn’t hinder the force of his glare on Minseok that the latter feels small around him.

It takes awhile before Jongdae silently motions that he had calmed down, his gaze somewhat unshaken. Minseok sighs, his mind is wandering to any possible way to ease him into his big reveal.

“Jongdae, do you see Nini and Huni around the house?”

“Why are you drifting away from the topic?”

“I’m not. It relates to what I’m trying to explain, so do you see them?”

Jongdae takes a moment to look outside his room, walking to the cats’ favorite places including the living room, the small backyard, and the kitchen. They’re nowhere to be found.

Inside the room, Minseok hands out the other figure a gray hoodie for him to wear. Meanwhile the other had already taken and donned a black hoodie.

Jongdae steps inside the room, his stance frantic from panic at the missing cats. “Are they missing, Minseok? Please tell me you didn’t let them go.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this easily,” his head is hanging low, eyes glancing at the two figures awkwardly standing next to him. They notice the older’s gaze towards them, and in their silence, their eyes speak of encouragement to explain to his boyfriend.

“These two people are Nini and Huni. Remember you caught me calling someone’s name? Those are their real name, Jongin, and Sehun.”

Minseok nervously looks up to see disbelief written all over Jongdae’s features. Of course he had expected this, because _which mortal would believe cats shifting into humans so easily?_

Jongdae’s brows only furrows deeper when he sees Minseok’s serious face. Not once did he see the older smiling or chuckling, a sign that he was joking. 

His logic seems to take over the situation at hand that it couldn’t possibly be true that Nini and Huni shifted into humans. Then comes his imagination where he wonders to the possibility that they can, and Jongdae is torn apart in two places.

“I know it seems like it’s very hard to believe, but true to our promise, I will only tell you the truth, no lies.”

“How can you explain that?” Jongdae’s words almost come inaudible to Minseok’s heart, breaking at how afraid and unsure he sounded. “How did they do it?”

There’s one possible answer that Jongdae can muster up amidst his wreckage of thoughts that are wilding around his mind. He’s not sure that he’s right, but his guts are telling him so, and he can tell confidently that his guts have strong intuitions.

When Minseok gives him the answer that he had expected, he still becomes breathless. Jongdae’s world is suddenly spinning around too fast that he falls to his knees at the white lie that he had been living with for 3 years.

“They can because they’re sorcerers. We, in fact, are sorcerers, Jongdae.”


	3. T H R E E

Jongdae is glad that they made sure to give him time to calm down from the revelation. It’s not every day you get a confession from your boyfriend of 3 years that he’s a sorcerer.

There’s a surge of panic from Minseok when he saw Jongdae suddenly kneeling down on the floor after his confession. He almost thought that everything will fall apart from then on —their trips discovering cafés, their late night talks—, the thought alone breaks his heart.

“I won’t give up on you so easily, Minseok. Even if you cheated, I would’ve slapped the side hoe that you cheated with.”

“Hey, infidelity has no correlation with who I am. And anyways, I will never cheat on you. I’m too in love with you.”

“I know. Kim Jongdae doesn’t exist every century, you know,” Jongdae smiles cheekily, a contrast towards the haze clouding his mind.

The other two unexpected guests; Jongin and Sehun, are now taking turns showering in the bathroom, insisting that they feel dirty. In which, it confuses both Minseok and Jongdae since they were house cats, they were never left outside. 

Except for whenever they decide to escape, lurking in the outdoors. But even then, either or both Minseok and Jongdae bathes them anyways after their escapades.

As the guests are away, Jongdae takes out the cake, and candles that he had bought, a preparation for a midnight anniversary feast. The cake turns out as he expected, with Minseok’s crappy cat decor, causing him to smile.

His thoughts drift to exactly a year ago when Minseok stepped into his house with two utterly dirty kittens inside the box he was carrying.

Though knowing the revelation, Jongdae wonders at the possibility that what he perceived to his knowledge is the complete opposite of what had happened. _Did Minseok really discovered them by chance or is there more to it?_

Meanwhile, Minseok is by the stove, heating up the hot pot as he stirs the broth once in a while. His silent demeanor is clawing at Jongdae, turning him anxious by the lack of confession from the former.

Jongdae sighs, knowing very well that he has to start the conversation if he wants Minseok to tell him more. Sticking in the candle to the cake, he takes out a lighter and sets it next to the cake before he turns to the pink haired boy.

“Minseok,” the said boy turns his head towards him, nodding his head, “why are you treating me like a stranger?”

“What do you mean by that?” He almost sounded surprised, if not for the realization a second later at what Jongdae meant. “I thought you might want more time to recuperate.”

“I’ve recovered from the shock. Now, my curiosity is gnawing at me. I need to know more than just a confession.”

“Well, what do you want to know? Shoot.”

“How long have you been a sorcerer?”

As the stirring stops, Minseok counts on his fingers, squinting his eyebrows in remembrance. He snaps his fingers when he recalls it, “I think ever since I hit puberty. That’s when I come to realize I have magical powers.”

Jongdae couldn’t help but feel slightly let down at the revelation. His puberty was way before they knew each other, whether it’d be their years of friendship or dating.

_So I only knew it now after all those years. That lovely prick happens to hide it so well…_

“See, this is why I hold back on telling you until now. You’re thinking way too far into the past.”

Jongdae whispers as his eyes frantically look up, “how did you hide it so well?”

“Shouldn’t it be obvious that we’re good at hiding? We’ve adapted our control to the present environment. Nowadays, sorcerers are only known as myths or the evidence people have against us is inconclusive.”

Jongdae is never one who believes in conspiracies. He still doesn’t believe in the existence of ghosts, what more in other topics that need a huge leap from impossible to possibility.

Yes, he knows about the conspiracy revolving around the existence of sorcerers, but he brushes it off like any other myth he’s heard of before. 

Now that he knows his significant other is not only a cult follower of those myths, he’s apart of the conspiracy itself.

“You’re doing it again, Jongdae. You’re thinking too hard into it.”

“I can’t help but think too deep into this,” Jongdae admits, exasperated that the latter seems to not realize how grave of this discovery is. 

“You’re a fucking sorcerer! You know I’ve never believed in those.”

“Hey, I thought you said you calmed down already. Do you want to wait for Jongin and Sehun?”

“Regardless, I still find it hard to believe this. How come knowing you all those years felt like a lie?”

Minseok turns off the stove with a heavy sigh, as he calmly pours the hotpot into a giant bowl. It tears him apart that Jongdae thinks everything they had, felt like a lie when everything was so real when they’re together.

He only lied to him about his identity, in which he understands how grave it is, hiding one's identity from their significant other. It equals to lying about a thousand things because it’s who he is, _what he is._

“Let’s put this on the dining table, then we’ll talk,” Minseok doesn’t want to let his sadness show through his voice, but it managed to seep through a little.

Jongdae glances back with an equally crestfallen expression on his face before he nods, silently taking the plate of cake to the dining table with Minseok behind him.

Meanwhile, Sehun and Jongin are finding themselves comfortable in each other’s embrace on the sofa, missing each other’s touch. One year of absence from that warm and tingling sensation that they love very much. 

It had felt entirely different than what they had thought after they transformed into cats. Jongin thought positively that the amount of skinship will feel the same or the least, similar.

But was he so wrong, when he realized his skin is covered with more prominent, cat hair. It just doesn't feel the same compared to having Sehun's skin touch his.

At least he could still feel Sehun’s warmth whenever Jongin hugs him, and he's grown so protective of the younger.

When Sehun got injured by an asshole who kicked them out for resting underneath his porch, Jongin resisted using his magic. He would've if he didn't think of the further harm that could happen to them.

The sound of footsteps entering the dining room has the couple raising their heads to look at the two figure. They only remain in each other's comfort until they get a whiff of smell from the hotpot. 

Immediately, the two rise up from the sofa and rush over to the dining table. 

Being cats had them unable to taste the food they were eating. So, the look of the hot pot in the center of the table looks ravishing, and they can’t wait to finally satisfy their taste buds.

Pulling the chairs simultaneously, Sehun decides to sit next to an eager Jongin, chuckling when he sees the older’s eyes twinkling with anticipation at the sight of food.

Sehun doesn’t quite realize how much he misses seeing Jongin’s face until he finally sees him. All the features that Sehun had come to love throughout the years, the eyes that had never changed with his tender gaze towards him.

He shakes off the daze, pulling his chair closer to the table as his stomach continues to grumble furthermore at the delicious smell of the hot pot. 

Minseok scurries away to take the bottle of wine he had brought. A moment ago, Jongdae had thought of it being too festive for a simple cat anniversary dinner. Now, he knows why the pink haired boy brought it.

They’re having two additional special guests with them tonight.

He sets the bottle on the table before taking 4 glasses out of Jongdae’s cabinet. It had been some time since he last used it, it’s probably dusty as of right now.

Jongdae’s lips tug into a smirk when he hears the sound of the faucet turning on. It’s pretty impressive how Minseok’s train of thoughts can align so well with his.

Coming back a few seconds later, Minseok pours the red wine into three glasses, giving one to Jongdae, knowing well the latter will take it without question.

Minseok motions the wine to the other two. Sehun nods, taking one of the glass with the crimson red liquid but Jongin stays silent, contemplating on the drink.

“Jongin, I know you don’t drink but come on, you should celebrate! Loosen up for tonight only, I promise I won’t pour more into your glass.”

Sehun agrees with Minseok’s remark, grinning as he fists both of his hands as an encouragement. Succumbing to it, the black haired boy shakes his head and chuckles as he takes the last glass.

“We made a cake for you guys too,” Jongdae speaks up, in the middle of giving out the utensils, “but I’ll take it out later after we’re done with the hot pot.”

Both Sehun and Jongin nod understandingly, eyes quickly shifting back to the hot pot. Jongdae laughs at the two strangers, somehow warming up to them inexplicably.

The two strangers are giving off familiar vibes, almost like Jongdae had known them before. Sure, he knows them because they're the kittens that he's been taking care of but it's not exactly like that.

There’s something about them that eases Jongdae into being comfortable around them. Pursuing a friendly gesture, Jongdae raises his glass, offering a small speech for the other couple.

“In commemoration for one year of having you both in my house, and turning back into humans. This is for you, Sehun and Jongin,” at this, Minseok raises his glass too.

“Yes, this is for you both! I hope your relationship lasts for infinity, figuratively and literally.”

The mentioned couple grins shyly at the small speech dedicated to them, sneakily glancing at each other before they raise each of their glasses.

All 4 glasses meet in unison, emitting clinking sounds followed by Jongdae’s boisterous cheers and Minseok’s giggles. The pink haired boy easily starts chugging the crimson liquid, causing Jongdae to shout, “holy shit, Minseok, this isn't some crappy beer that you can chug!”

Sehun laughs care-freely, the liquid he downed calming his nerves. On the other hand, Jongin finds a hard time drinking the red wine, sipping the drink bit by bit.

After finishing their first round of wine, Jongdae takes the responsibility of pouring the hot pot into separate bowls. Gesturing for the guests to have a taste of it, Sehun and Jongin busy themselves by blowing on the broth, before carefully sipping it.

The delight evidently graces their faces, and Jongdae grins in pride of the hot pot he made. His satisfaction only grows when he sees them devouring their bowls, a silence quickly enveloping between them.

Jongdae silently takes Minseok’s bowl away and pours in a lot more than the other two since he knows the latter can never get enough of his hot pot. Minseok grins bashfully when he sees his bowl filled nearly to the rim.

Preoccupied with their food, they ignore the clock ticking towards 2 AM. The only sounds across the table are the slurping of the broth, utensils clinking, and more slurping.

 

 

Taking away the dirty bowls and pot into the sink, the table is now empty, and the crowd had moved to the living room. Jongdae doesn’t forget to take out the cake from the fridge.

At the sight of the frosting, Jongin laughs too hard in his sober state while Sehun, who at first only chuckles, soon followed behind the black haired’s loud laughter.

Not quite having the appetite for a dessert, Minseok politely refuses while the other three indulges in the strawberry mousse cake. 

Only a few minutes pass by for Jongin and Sehun to finish the cake. They made it seem like there was no cake on the plate as it confusingly looks clean.

Taking the drink with them as they converse with each other, everyone—except Jongin—is buzzing, growing bubblier through the night. The more wine he drank, the more Jongdae can feel the pleasant burning feeling coursing through his body.

He suddenly remembers Minseok’s promise to tell more over dinner, but now that they just had desserts and now onto wine, he's no longer hesitant to ask about it. Jongdae’s hand reaches to squeeze Minseok’s neglected hand gently, the latter quirks his eyebrows in response.

“Hey, you promised you’ll tell more, but now we’re way over dinner.”

“I did but seeing what time it is right now, I don’t want you to stay up all night for it.”

Jongdae glances at the clock hanging above the sofa, showing it’s 3:27 AM. He sighs, “After being in the dark all those years I’ve known you, I think I’ll be fine staying up for one night.”

“Of course, I owe you that, and I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. Being a sorcerer had taught me to be very cautious of everyone that I’m close with. It's so normalized that I was blind to how trusting you are towards me, and I should’ve been the same to you.”

Minseok’s eyes glisten in regret, as he looks down at Jongdae's hand holding his. He looks up when he feels a gentle squeeze to his hand.

“I’m glad you told me. I understand that this isn’t something that can be easily acceptable to anyone. It’s similar in a way but different to when you came out as gay.”

Minseok cracks a grin, his gaze tender on Jongdae. “I love you so much, you know that right?”

“I know. I love you too.”

The older closes their distance, face inching closer and their lips meet in a chaste kiss. As their lips brush each other’s when they part away, Jongdae sighs at the pleasant feeling. 

He’s only getting tinglier when Minseok trails his lips to the younger’s cheek, giving him a kiss before staying there.

They spend a few seconds in the comfort of their silence, with the sounds of their breathing before regaining their composure again. Jongdae is back again with his curious demeanor, hands clapping in excitement.

“So let’s get to know how you became a sorcerer!”

“I don’t think we can do it tonight,” Minseok mumbles. If it's a reaction Minseok expects, then a reaction is what he gets as Jongdae whines in complain.

“Wait, why can’t you tell me tonight?”

“To know my story, you need to know theirs,” Minseok gestures to the couple, only to hold back his chuckle when he realizes they’re drifting off to sleep on the sofa, “It's woven to each other. I need them to tell theirs, but I feel bad making them stay up when this is their first night in human form.”

Glancing at the mentioned couple, Jongdae’s interior softens when he sees both of their eyes closed, Sehun’s head slowly falling to rest on Jongin’s shoulder. They look like they’re worked up from their cat figure. Since humans are, of course, humans, one can’t imagine shifting into cats will be a better choice of living. 

_Or maybe it is, I don’t know. I’m just talking batshit right now._

Noticing the silence, Jongin peeks between his closed eyelids, seeing the other two staring at him. Slowly getting the gripe of what the gaze meant, Jongin dismisses it with a wave of his hand. 

“Don’t let us sleeping hinder you. I’m sure Hyung can tell at least something about us.”

“But I need you both to tell your story. I can tell mine after you tell yours. After all, I figured you guys are the stars of this story.”

“But Jongdae hadn’t known anything throughout knowing you in his life. Don’t you think you should at least tell him something?”

Turning lost at their interaction, Jongdae yawns in a bored manner as he waits for the two to resort to a solution to tell him whatever the story it is. Though, his curiosity is undeniably piqued at the argument that’s going on. 

_It must be a hell of a story._

After 10 minutes of arguing, they finally come to a stop when the then-sleeping Sehun wakes up, raising his voice in a complaint, his eyes drooping so low.

“You two, stop arguing over it!” Sehun heaves a deep sigh, eyes turning wide awake from the interaction of the two. “Minseok Hyung, you can tell him about the fundamentals of who we are, the grounds of it. We'll tell our story later in the morning. You both are making too big of a fuss about this.”

Minseok nods, giving in at the silver-haired boy’s suggestion. He’s known Sehun as a little brat, but he’s so fond of the boy that he’s a weakness of Minseok’s.

He smiles when he sees Sehun’s head resting on Jongin’s shoulder, the latter then ruffling Sehun’s hair before kissing the top of his head affectionately.

“Can you two help fill in if I missed something?”

The said two nod their head absentmindedly, apparently in a state where they can drift off to sleep right there and then on the sofa. Minseok honestly feels terrible, but he realizes he needs their presence as a form of support too.

“First of all, do you know the difference between a sorcerer and a wizard?”

“Aren’t they similar? I don’t know,” he spares some time thinking, before he shrugs his shoulders, “whatever, I’m not the most knowledgeable in the sorcery thingy.”

Minseok cackles joyously, he knew Jongdae would be snarky in his disbelief. Though for a fact, any human being would say something similar or they can't tell the slightest.

“You’re almost right. There’s little difference between us, but the most important thing is to be a sorcerer, you have to be a wizard first. Even then, only a handful that can become a sorcerer depending on their magic.”

Jongdae hums in response, his body leaning closer as he becomes engrossed in the topic. It’s fascinating actually, to know that there’s a different world existing in the world he’s living but with magic, eluding them from the normativity.

“Did all three of you manage to become sorcerers? How?”

“I was an earlier sorcerer than them,” Minseok gestures to Jongin and Sehun, who are busy finding a comfortable position on the sofa. “But yes, all three of us are sorcerers. I became one purely from my abilities, but Jongin and Sehun have sorcerers in their bloodline.”

“What difference does that make? Are they more powerful than you are?”

“No, the only difference they had is a higher chance of becoming sorcerers. Also, the fact that someone in their family is a sorcerer too, they get to gain more knowledge aside from what we learned from school.”

Out of nowhere, Jongdae chokes in his own spit at the mention of ‘school.’ He has a strong feeling that the supposed school Minseok mentioned, isn’t an ordinary school. At all.

He doesn’t even need Minseok to confirm it, he’s a hundred percent sure it’s a school of magic.

“Where is this school, that you’re talking about?” Jongdae isn't sure if he's poking in too much, but Minseok said 'shoot' earlier on. Might as well ask him everything.

Minseok glances at Jongin, a conflicted expression forming on his face. In turn, Jongin cocks his eyebrows before sighing at the elder, “Hyung, he’s your significant other. The magic realm can be known to the loved ones of the practitioners, as long as you're careful.”

 _Careful._ Jongdae has to take note of that word because it seems like everything about Minseok's identity is dangerous, which it can definitely be. 

And he doesn’t know whether he's thrilled or is blatantly afraid.

“Remember the park that I love going to and always dragged you to?”

At the mention of it, Jongdae knows exactly which park Minseok meant. “The school is in the park?”

Minseok nods before he quickly explains, already seeing the confusion on Jongdae’s face. 

“Yes, it’s there, but of course it’s hidden away, eluded by magic so no outsider and no dark side can come—,” Minseok’s explanation cuts short by his yelp, as Jongin lightly kicks Minseok’s elbow, eyes frantically staring at him.

His head shakes just slightly, his eyes flashing with silent warnings at the older. It wasn’t just a warning though. Jongdae can see a dash of fear in the black haired’s face. 

Before Minseok can save himself, Jongdae speaks up ahead of him and this time directed to Jongin. It’s evident that Jongin knows a lot more than Minseok, through however way that is.

“What is this dark force, Jongin? Why don’t you want me to know?”

Jongin’s head snaps at the mention of his name, his wide eyes that were on Jongdae, shifts elsewhere in avoidance. He slowly turns to Sehun, who gets woken up for the second time that night.

Understanding what the other meant, Sehun reaches for Jongin’s hand on his, gently squeezing it as he smiles encouragingly. 

“He will find out eventually so I think it’s better if you tell him now. Let’s not avoid the inevitable. I’d rather him knowing about it than getting any possible harm without ever knowing why he's harmed.”

The word ‘harm’ completely unsettles Jongdae. It just didn’t cross his mind that they would touch on the topic this soon. 

A few hours ago, he only just knew about the other three being sorcerers, and now, he can be harmed?

Sighing into his palms, Jongin spares a few seconds in silence before he raises his head, gaze brooding that it startles Jongdae in his sitting position.

“The magic world is as complicated as the mortal world, but it's tangled in a completely different way. A magical place, pun intended,” Jongin flashes a playful grin to Sehun, which he responds with a rolling of his eyes, “but very chaotic and dangerous.”

“Sadly, chaotic is very familiar in this world, Jongin.”

“It is, though, in the magic realm, dealing with the dark side means dealing with the devil himself. It means dealing with people who have both god-like tendencies and god-like powers.”

Jongdae’s eyes widen in realization. If people had magic powers, the possibility of turning into an asshole and being self righteous about it could happen so quickly. Becoming a supervillain in the magic world is as easy as it can get. 

A shiver runs down his spine at the mere thought of possibly facing one of them without knowing.

“Still following, Jongdae?” when he earns a nod as a response, Jongin continues. 

“The thing is with us sorcerers, it feels like nothing and no one can stop you especially when you’re one of the highest ranks. That’s why it’s so easy for us to turn to the dark side when the rules in the light side start to feel restrictive.”

“Are you on the highest ranks, Jongin?”

There’s a pause on Jongin, a slight hesitance in his eyes before a shift to confidence. “Yes, I’m one of the highest ranks. So is Sehun, but somehow Minseok’s power limits him so he’s not in the highest rank. Being in a lower rank means that it’s harder for him to summon his powers, not as smooth as we can.”

It comes as a surprise to Jongdae that Minseok isn't in the highest rank. It made sense to him if Minseok is one of the most powerful sorcerers, but instead, he’s lower? He seems like he can manage to swiftly summon his powers to the contrary of Sehun’s and Jongin’s looks.

There’s something about their youth that you don't really expect how powerful they actually are. Well then, looks can be deceiving.

Sehun’s whine snaps Jongdae out of his thoughts, “are you done, Jongin? I’m getting really sleepy.”

Jongin asks the owner of the house, “do you perhaps have any place where we can sleep, Hyung?”

It takes a second for Jongdae to remember that the sofa he owns, is a makeshift bed too. He’s better safe than sorry, especially having Junmyeon hanging out a lot with them which lead him to some impromptu sleepovers.

Jongdae motions for both of them to move the coffee table away, setting it to the sofa’s side. Meanwhile, Minseok wakes up from his sleepy state and quickly helps Jongdae lay out the extended part of the sofa.

“Hey, Jongin,” Jongdae calls out softly after he takes spare pillows from his closet. The boy mentioned perks up. “Thanks for staying up late. I know you’re probably so damn tired from whatever sorcery that just changed you to human form. I appreciate you explaining it to me.”

“No problem, but Hyung, we’re the ones who need to thank you,” Jongin pauses on his words when Sehun tugs his hoodie. Understanding what the silver-haired boy meant, he lets Sehun thank Jongdae instead.

“We’re grateful you agreed to take us in that night. Thanks to Minseok too, who eventually brought us to you,” the boy in talk nods his head as a sign of ‘your welcome.’ 

Sehun nods back before he continues, “I remember feeling hopeless as we moved on from one house to another. Neither opened their doors for us, or once they do, they kicked us out. If it weren’t for you both, hell knows what could’ve happened to us.”

Jongdae tries to smile the sweetest as he can offer, satisfied himself that he never thought that he actually saved someone else’s life. Two cat hybrid slash sorcerer guys' lives to be exact.

Sehun tentatively steps closer to Jongdae, not quite sure whether the latter is intimidated by him. He breathes a relieved sigh when Jongdae holds his stance confidently.

That’s until Sehun pulls Jongdae into an embrace. One where it’s warm and snuggly and affectionate that Jongdae can’t help but feel the tears forming in his eyes. Sehun whispers softly in his ears, little sniffs can be heard faintly.

“Hyung, I barely know you but I’m so thankful you took us in and took good care of me when I wasn’t in my best. You have no idea how terrified I was from my helplessness. I almost thought I was going to die from my wound if you hadn't taken us in. You really are my savior.” 

Death most likely won’t happen when a kitten gets an injury, it’ll just probably get severely infected. But Jongdae reminds himself that the boy hugging and sniffing in his embrace right now is a fellow human, who never knew how to live as a cat.

Living in a foreign body and looking at the world from it is fear in itself. Like Sehun said, Jongdae indeed has no idea.

“It’s been so nice having you around the house. You basically made this house livelier than it used to be, Sehun. I’m happy I took you in a year ago and if you ever change back into cats, remember that this will always be your home.”

Pulling himself away after he caresses his back soothingly, Jongdae doesn’t notice a tear falling from the corner of his eye. As quick as it comes, he quickly wipes it away.

Sehun is still crying, his breaths turn uncontrollable and Jongin tugs at one of his arms before pulling him into his embrace, whispering soothing words as he smiles a little to Jongdae. 

“It’s best that you both try to get sleep. We’ll be in the room if you ever need anything.” Minseok steers Jongdae away, figuring that the couple needs time alone with themselves.

As soon as they’re both inside the bedroom, Jongdae closes the door behind him. He smiles at how tight Sehun had hugged him. The boy has a soft and sensitive heart, and he has the urge to protect him even more.

“Sehun…” Jongdae’s voice trails before his lips form into a soft smile, “such a sweet boy he is. He almost looked so fragile a moment there.”

“After what happened to them, it’s understandable why he fears a lot of his entire being.”

 _That sounded so grim,_ Jongdae thinks. _But what really happened?_

“Do you mind me asking what happened to them? Why did they turn into cats?”

Minseok glances at his feet, wondering whether it’s his place to tell him about it. It had affected Minseok too emotionally, to be the third party seeing everything and being there to help them.

After enough pondering, Minseok looks up to meet Jongdae’s worried eyes. He knows those eyes aren’t concerned _for_ Minseok, but concerned about what Minseok _has to say_ about Jongin and Sehun.

“I really think you should ask for them to tell you about it later. But briefly telling you what I can, Jongin and Sehun basically sacrificed their human figure in the name of sorcery and saving everything that’s in it.”


	4. F O U R

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To those who wait patiently for sekai~

Staying up late is never Jongdae’s forte because he ends up waking up so late in the day. As late as 12 PM. Minseok somehow didn’t bother waking him up and Jongdae half wished that he did and half grateful he got extra sleep.

When he walks out, he sees Jongin still half awake with Sehun right by the stove. Noticing Jongdae’s presence, Sehun waves at him, motioning him to come over.

“Do you know where Minseok is?” Jongdae asks ahead, cutting the other two efficiently.

“He’s going back home to pick up some of our stuff,” Sehun answers, arching a brow in contemplation of the different sizes of the pot. While doing that, he tries his best to not move too much when a sleepy Jongin is resting his chin on one of his shoulders.

“Is it magical stuff or props or whatever you call it?”

“You can say so,” Sehun decides to choose the bigger pot instead before freezing in his movements. 

Jongdae notices it but shrugs it off until the former mutters, “Hyung, I can’t cook, and neither does Jongin. Can you help us heat the hotpot?”

“You can’t heat the broth?” Jongdae asks in utter disbelief. Heating something is the easiest, most basic thing you can do. You only need to heat it until it’s boiling.

“I don’t want to risk it, we don’t want your house burning down.”

“Are you guys that bad at cooking?”

Jongin chimes in, voice still raspy from the lack of water, “Sehun tried cooking instant ramen with butter, and it burned.”

“Well shit,” Jongdae spurts, “Okay, hand me that.”

Sehun bursts into laughter as he carefully hands over the pot. Jongin is chuckling too by his side, growing more awake as they get more into talking.

The topic finally gets to the part of Sehun and Jongin’s identity. Jongdae asks sheepishly, afraid to scare off the couple when they’ve only started warming up to him.

“I don’t want to intrude, but where are you guys from?”

“We’re from here. Same as you are. My family name is Oh, and at a glance, we’re just your average middle-class family. Though in the magic realm, my ancestor had a reputation for being one of the sorcerers who created the spells we use to date.”

Jongdae gasps at how nonchalant Sehun says at such a big reputation his family holds. _Creating the spells they used to date? That’s almost like coming up with words that we’re using today…_

“You’re surprised, aren’t you?” Sehun snickers when he notices Jongdae’s face still holds a shocked expression. “That’s why Minseok mentioned my chances of being a sorcerer. It runs very strong in my blood.”

“How are you so nonchalant about it? And how is your family not one of the wealthiest?”

“Again, I said it’s in a glance, Hyung. We’re notably wealthy and well-known in the magic world. Aside from my ancestor’s reputation, we run one of the oldest magic shops. Name anything you’ve heard of in the magic world, and we most definitely sell it.”

“Broomsticks? Wands? Potions,— wait, are potions real?”

“Those are essentials, and yes, we sell potions too. If you make potions on your own, we have the ingredients you need.”

“So, it’s like an Ikea but in the magic world? Do you sell owls?”

Sehun rolls his eyes at the reference, but Jongin loves the joke. He starts laughing too hard, causing his chin to slip off of Sehun's shoulder.

“Ikea sells furniture and we don’t,” Jongin pokes on Sehun’s elbow, correcting him on that note, “Okay, we do sell some. You reference too much from Harry Potter, Hyung.”

Jongdae bursts into a joyous laugh, “Harry Potter is the closest thing to knowing about wizards, Sehun.”

“Well, they’re all wizards or mage. None of them are sorcerers, so there’s a difference,” the silver-haired boy shrugs, acknowledging what Jongdae said while also correcting him. 

“About that,” Jongdae awkwardly chuckles as he remembers not quite understanding the concept, “I still don’t get the difference between wizards and sorcerers, and now mage?”

“Minseok didn’t quite explain that part, but what he meant by being a wizard then sorcerer is the process of learning. We have innate abilities that are independent, we don’t need to learn anything aside from learning how to control and harness it. Mage is fully dependent on learning the spells, they’re not a natural. Wizards are in between a mage and sorcerer, where they have innate abilities and can acquire more knowledge through learning.”

Jongdae nods, understanding more from Sehun’s explanation. Minseok was right, it’s best that he asks from them instead, not that he finds it any less helpful.

Almost to his reflexes, Jongdae’s attention then shifts to the brown-haired boy, who’s busy looking at the smell of the hot pot. Realizing the gaze, Jongin looks up before he grins, his hand scratching the back of his neck nervously. 

“It’s my turn isn’t it?” In which he earns a nod, Jongin continues, “My family is well off both in the magic world and in the mortal world. My surname might ring a bell, it’s Kim.”

“No way,” Jongdae holds his hand up because _it can’t be…_ He wants to raise his voice, but it comes out a soft whisper, in pure disbelief. “Do you mean Kim of the Kim Corps?”

Jongin nods, a shy smile on his lips. He never liked introducing about his family’s empire. The exposure on his family puts him in such a risky position primarily as a sorcerer.

Even his own family agrees on Jongin’s decision to not introduce himself as one of the heirs of Kim Corps. It’s best to say that only to the people he trusts the most.

He’s not quite sure why he manages to introduce himself that way to Jongdae, but the latter really radiates a sense of familiarity to home.

With Minseok as his boyfriend, Jongin sees him as trustworthy too. It’s rare for his guts to defy him.

“It’s ironic how I have the surname Kim too, but I don’t, in any way, have a wealthy corporate family,” Jongdae sighs, shaking his head in disappointment, causing Jongin to chuckle. “I never knew the Kims had a son. I’ve only seen their daughters, Jongin.”

There’s a little quirk on the corner of Jongin’s lips, almost as if he’s expecting Jongdae to question his honesty. Honestly, any person would ask that if he were to introduce himself that way.

“Those are my sisters. My parents want the public to focus more on them for me to have more privacy and less potential dangers from the magic world. It’s threatening already that my family runs a business empire while my grandparents were also magic royalties.”

Jongin takes his phone out of his pocket, and Jongdae stares dumbfoundedly at the gadget because _since when did he own a cell phone?_

“I had this for awhile, Hyung, I just had it kept with Minseok while I was a cat. He gave it back earlier this morning.”

Jongdae diverts his focus back to the hot pot when he sees the broth boiling. He turns the heat off, motioning for Sehun to get a bowl from one of the cabinets. 

Meanwhile, Jongin is busy with his phone, looking through the pictures he has in the gallery. He’s looking for a specific one and snaps his finger when he finds it.

Jongin offers the phone to Jongdae, yet the latter holds up a finger, asking for him to wait as he pours the broth into the bowl. He walks out of the kitchen, careful with the dish he’s holding in his hands before setting it on the table.

The other two follow silently behind him, holding their own separate bowls with Sehun carrying an extra for Jongdae. They sit on the chair and waits eagerly for Jongdae to pour the broth.

Noticing the antics, Jongdae chuckles, unable to suppress the growing smile, “You guys are like kids, waiting for your mom to give out the food. And I happen to be the mom.”

“Siblings don’t fuck each other, Hyung, and we do,” Jongdae chokes on his breath at Jongin’s remark. It seems like Sehun finds himself hard to breathe too. “But you are our cat mom, so you really are our mom now too.”

“Speaking of that,” Jongdae clears his throat, feeling a tiny bit awkward on the topic. But Jongin managed to blurt something too dirty for him to know that it boosts Jongdae's confidence. 

“If you both are in for some banging, make sure Minseok and I aren’t aware, please. Don’t make the ‘bang’ in banging literal to my ears.”

“We can’t promise you that,” Sehun chimes in.

“Is it so hard to keep it in your pants until when we’re not around?”

“It’s been a year or so since we last did it.” Sehun’s voice trails as he turns red at the thought of having sex again. It really had been that long.

“You didn’t have any in cat form?”

“Minseok said that it’s best that we don’t do it. We could’ve gone against it since it was just a piece of advice but we don’t really like the idea of cat sex anyways.”

Jongin blurts in a panic, “I can see this topic going down a path that I fully don’t want to dive in.”

“Let’s stop the cat sex topic right here,” Jongdae holds up his hand in a ‘stop’ gesture.

“You started it, Hyung,” Sehun mumbles, pouting his lips. 

“Again, have sex when we’re asleep, okay? But keep in mind, Minseok is a light sleeper.”

They both nod their head in unison, then Jongin extends his arm to Jongdae, giving his phone for the latter to see. The moment Jongdae registers the brightly lit phone screen, he holds his breath.

It’s the Kims family photo, with two of the daughters and there’s Jongin, sitting in the middle. It seems like the photo was taken when they were all in the midst of laughing and looking at Jongin.

Jongdae can’t help the growing warmth in his heart at how genuinely happy they look. How even with their choice to have Jongin out of the spotlight doesn’t change their love towards the boy himself.

As he returns the phone back, Jongdae lets out a dreamy sigh, “You have such a beautiful family, Jongin. How are they now?”

“Thanks,” Jongin grins cheekily, but it quickly morphs into a frown, “I don’t really know. The last time I met them was when I bid my farewell. I told them I’ll be away for about a year.”

“Why don’t you call them now? Did you even tell them why you need to be away?”

“I didn’t. I don’t want to put my family in more danger than they already have. I can’t call them without risking it getting tracked. I sent a letter already though.”

“Can I guess that it’s a magical letter?”

Jongin smiles before he nods, eating the clam that was in his hot pot. There’s a beat of silence among them before the sound of keys opening the lock snaps Jongdae out of his daze. 

_That must be Minseok._

As soon as he thought of him, the said guy bursts into the door, carrying two bags in hand, one is of Topshop. Something is protruding in the other bag, and Jongdae’s guts tell him it’s not a bag full of ordinary stuff.

“Sehun, Jongin! I bought you clothes, try it on.”

“Hyung, you should've told us that. It would’ve been easier to choose the clothes with us around.”

“Shape-shifting can be exhausting, and you looked worn out, but yeah, I guess a second hand would’ve saved much more time in that store.”

Walking inside, Minseok drops the bags on the coffee table before he heads to the kitchen to grab a clean bowl. He only managed to drink pomegranate juice before he leaves, and now he’s starving.

By the time Minseok sits down, Sehun and Jongin are finished with theirs, leaving Jongdae with Minseok. As they rummage through the new clothes, gasps can be heard coming from the two, before the two starts fighting over a plaid blazer.

“You know it looks better on me, Jongin.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it. I’ll use it more than you do. You can have the oxford shoes instead!”

“Fine. Only if you let me steal the blazer.”

“It’s a deal if you let me steal the oxfords.”

“Deal,” Sehun sighs. Hearing the two in the dining table snickering in amusement, Sehun mumbles, “Minseok Hyung, you should’ve bought two of those blazers. You know we like matching outfits.”

“I forgot. I only thought about what you and Jongin liked to wear, and I had Jongin in mind when I bought the blazer.”

Sehun huffs in disappointment as Jongin breathes out a satisfied chuckle behind him, earning an elbow from the younger a second later. They continue rummaging through the bag, with less arguing since they conclude to themselves that they always steal from each other anyway.

“Have you gotten to know them better?” Minseok asks out of the blue after what feels like a long silence between the two.

“I only asked about their families. I hadn’t gotten to the part on how they met and why they end up shapeshifting into cats.”

“You should ask them now, you’ve been waiting all night,” Minseok slurps like it’s no end, unaware of Jongdae’s confused glare at him, “Don’t think that I didn’t know you stayed up until 5 AM last night.”

_Ah, of course, he knew. I kept getting out of bed._

“Go ahead ask them. I’m almost finished anyway.”

At the reassuring squeeze on Jongdae’s hand, Jongdae smiles back to Minseok, walking towards the couch. He sits on an empty spot before he nervously calls out Sehun and Jongin.

“What’s up, Hyung?” Jongin asks in worry when he sees Jongdae’s tense shoulders.

“Again, I feel like I’m intruding, but how did you guys meet?”

“Hyung, you’re never intruding. You have the right to know. You’ve been nursing us all these times, so the least we can do is tell you who we are.”

“Definitely,” Sehun chimes in, smiling warmly at Jongdae before he directs his attention to Jongin, “But we met the first time in my shop.”

Jongin nods, returning Sehun’s gaze as his hand snakes up to intertwine with Sehun’s. Jongdae can’t help but gush at the small yet sweet gesture.

“I’m a regular in his shop, but I’ve never seen him around. Whatever thing that led him that day to be in the shop is the start of our story.”

 

 

_5 Years Ago…_

Living among mortals that aren’t as powerful as he is considerably complicated. As a sorcerer with a prestigious status, Jongin admits he struggles blurring among the crowd of regular, nonmagic people.

Much to his distaste, Jongin’s looks make him stick out like a sore thumb. It’s not his fault that good genes run in his family, and his physique resembles a lot of a model’s. Tall in height with long limbs and slender proportions.

He can no longer count on his fingers the number of times people asked if he’s a model and it gets annoying honestly. It’s in Jongin’s best interest to keep a low profile. Which explains why he tilts his head down, avoiding people’s curious glances as he walks a short trip to the magic shop.

Noticing the growing glances at him, his feet take quicker strides, hoping he can get to the shop sooner. He turns to a neighborhood, one that he knows isn’t your common one. Everything is so deserted.

_Just a few more steps and you’ll be there._

When Jongin catches sight of the shop, he lets out a relieved sigh, quickening his already fast pace. He’s a regular, always coming in back and forth, and he’s grown quite close with the owner, a wise old man that goes by Seonho.

Jongin remembers how Seonho’s family is a great deal in the magic world, their ancestors were among The Order. Only the most notorious and famous sorcerers were in The Order, and they helped shape the system that the magic world abide by now.

Coming to a turn to the shop, he spots the old rusty house. The roof barely holding up anymore with a lot of the wooden floor breaking, leaving a gaping hole in the dirt underneath.

There’s an old gray metal mailbox with the name _“Sun & Moon”_ painted on it, and it’s slowly fading over the years. It’s horrendous and old, to say the least, but the shop is more than what meets the eye.

If Jongin were a wizard, he would’ve drawn out his wand, but Jongin merely knocks three times on the mailbox before he turns the knob on the side. He opens the short fence, walking on the trail until a sudden distortion happens and everything changes.

What was then concealed, is now bared in front of his eyes and the feeling of coming back home is riveting inside of Jongin.

The house evolves into a beautiful rustic wooden house, with the sign _“Sun & Moon”_ perched on the roofs of the balcony. There’s a symbol of both the Sun and Moon morphed together, the shop’s logo.

Wizards and witches heading out of the shop acknowledges Jongin by nodding at him, before moving on to what they’re going to do for the rest of the day. Jongin looks around the neighborhood, and a smile forms on his lips.

The then deserted area is now changed into a bustling street, filled with everyone from the magic world strolling around, stopping from one house to another. 

Again, these houses aren’t your common ones. They’re shops, libraries, boutiques, etc. you name it. Some of them go underground, beneath the streets, others are what you see is the amount of space they have.

 _“Sun & Moon”_ is one of the biggest shops around the area, merely by looking at the façade of the house itself and it still goes underground. 

The sound of bells welcomes him when Jongin opens the door, alarming the shop’s clerks of a customer. Several shop clerks greet him as he wanders along the display of charms, accessories, and gems.

He has something particular in his mind, a pocket watch and a compass. Jongin also wants to buy ingredients for the potion he’s learning to make, but that’ll be on a different floor.

Sauntering up to a glass case of pocket watches, a shop clerk notices Jongin’s interest. He smiles before he asks.

“Is there anything you’re interested in today, sir?”

“I was wondering if you have any of the time turner pocket watches?”

“That particular one is rare, and we don’t have any on display right now. Let me check, we might have one around the warehouse.”

The shop’s clerk pulls out his wand, winging it in the air and as soon as he did, a clipboard floats towards him. There’s stack of paper clipped onto it with a dip pen jotting down on the paper by itself until the clerk takes the pen in his hand.

He flips through the pages and finds a specific part where it mentions the stock of pocket watches. His eyes run through the list before he sighs, turning his gaze to Jongin.

“I’m sorry, we’re completely out of it. We have it in back order for three months, but nothing came up from the supplier.”

“It’s fine,” Jongin waves his hand in dismissal, “Do you mind showing me where the compasses are?”

“Sure, they’re right over here,” the clerk moves to a different glass case, just two cases away from where the pocket watches were. “Do you have anything specific in mind?”

“I’m looking for the Wishful compass. I’ve been eyeing on that for awhile now.”

“We do have one in the shop right now. Though, that is one tricky compass. You can’t buy them unless they choose you as their owners. They’re stubborn like that. Many people came out disappointed because the compass turned them away.”

“Can I perhaps try if it chooses me? I’m feeling lucky right now.”

“You definitely can.” 

Opening the glass case, the clerk carefully takes out a hexagon shaped compass with a leather finish to it. There’s an alignment of stars embossed to it, and it’s honestly one of the prettiest things Jongin has laid his eyes on.

“How do I know that it chose me?” Jongin takes the compass away gently as if it’s the most precious thing in the world.

“You flip open the cover and wish for your desire in your heart. If the base moves, then it chooses you.”

Jongin sucks in a deep breath, preparing the fifty-fifty chance that he might be chosen or plunge deep into his disappointment and find another identical compass. Though, the optimism inside him is startling.

Opening the cover, he marvels at the detailing of the compass. A golden bezel around the frame and since it’s unlike any compass, it has no directions printed on the base, only lines with one prominent arrow.

Jongin closes his eyes, his heart yearning for the pocket watch that he was unlucky of earlier. There are a few moments of silence before the clerk breaks it with a surprised gasp.

Jongin snaps his eyes open and frantically looks down to see that the base is starting to rotate around, stopping at a direction after a few seconds. In both satisfaction and surprise, Jongin looks up to the clerk with a bright grin.

“I don’t know what else to say but congratulations! Excuse me for being thrilled because it’s been years of it staying in this shop, I hope you understand."

"How much will I be paying for this?"

"Well, you’re fortunate enough that the only catch for the compass is for it to choose who can have them.” 

Jongin reflexively does a small jump in delightfulness from his new compass. He can’t believe he got the compass and with all the joy in his heart, Jongin feels like he can burst.

After thanking the astounded shop clerk promptly—even shaking his hand in high enthusiasm—, Jongin excuses himself, heading down towards the potion's floor below. Earning the compass really pumps him up, and Jongin doesn’t quite realize he’s bouncing in his steps down the stairs.

Jongin smiles kindly to any person passing him by, earning both a confused look and a hesitant grin back at him. Spotting one of the available shop clerks, Jongin skips his way to the counter.

The said shop clerk looks up at him, his face breaks into confusion once he sees Jongin grinning widely. In his politeness, he puts away the box of ingredients he was holding in his hand, turning his focus entirely on Jongin.

“Hi, how may I help you today?”

“I’m trying to buy the ingredients for the Self-Improvement potion. I have all of it listed here in my notes,” Jongin fishes for his jacket pocket and pulls out the mentioned note. “I’m just not sure if I have everything jotted down.”

“May I?” The shop clerk offers his open palm, and Jongin nervously gives the note to him. He silently hopes the guy in front of him can read his lazy handwriting.

The guy furrows his eyebrows momentarily, before sneaking a look up at Jongin. When he notices Jongin’s eyes staring back at him patiently, he averts his gaze back down on the list.

Somehow Jongin is unable to look anywhere else but the boy looking at his notes now. His finger is pointing through the list, murmuring underneath his breath. His brows are yet again furrowing, or it _seems_ like it since the boy has sharp eyebrows.

_He looks unfamiliar. Have I not seen him around?_

“If you based it on the books, you got it all down on the list.”

“What does that mean? Am I missing something out?”

The clerk’s lips curl into a little smile, oozing smugness in a way. “There’s another ingredient not listed—,” and the clerk is cut short with a husky voice shouting out, making him freeze in his position.

“Sehun! I know you’re in the potions area!”

Before Jongin can even conclude who the voice belongs to, Seonho shows up in a corner, a frown evident on his face. The guy in front of Jongin bulges his eyes in surprise before breaking into a sheepish smile when Seonho steps closer to him.

“What are you doing here? I thought I had you working on the amenities floor!”

“But dad, you always put me there! I like working on potions more.”

_Hold on. Dad? Seonho is this guy’s dad?_

“Sehun, I don’t want to argue with you in front of a customer,” Seonho says sternly, lacing with a final tone. 

As he turns his gaze to Jongin, who’s waving his hand in an awkward greeting, he bulges his eyes. Right at the moment, Jongin sees the resemblance in Seonho’s eyes and the Sehun guy.

“Jongin! I didn’t notice it was you! How are you, boy?”

“I’m good! It’s nice seeing you again, Seonho. I was just here to pick up a compass and some ingredients.”

“What compass did you get?”

It’s unintentional that Jongin takes an interest in how quiet Sehun suddenly is and he feels a tinge of sorry for him. Despite that, the boy perks up slightly in curiosity, leaning closer to the counter.

With a grin, Jongin raises the hand that’s holding the compass, showing it proudly to Seonho. It takes a second for the old man to register which compass it is.

Eventually, he grins back and opens both of his palms to Jongin, clasping and shaking it in cheers. Even Sehun himself has a look of appraisal, laced with awe.

“It’s the Wishful compass, and it chose you! Congratulations, Jongin.”

“Isn’t that the compass that’s been here for years?”

Seonho nods, before breaking into a chuckle, realizing that he hadn’t introduced Jongin to Sehun. He pulls the quiet boy closer to him by the arm, shaking his head, “My poor manners. Jongin, this is Sehun, my son.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jongin,” Sehun offers a kind smile.

“Likewise. I’ve never seen you around the shop, and I’m always here in the potions area almost every week.”

“That’s something Dad here needs to explain. I was helping him with his potions ingredients, you know.”

“That’s lucky for you to be sharing some secrets to a good and noble sorcerer. What if he happened to be the misguided ones?”

“Seriously, dad, I can feel the energy difference between someone who’s light and someone who’s a follower of the devil.”

“I know you can tell but always keep your guard on, Sehun. Always,” Seonho points a finger to Sehun, accentuating his sternness on the matter. The boy eventually nods in defeat, turning to Jongin as he sighs.

“Dad here doesn’t want me staying around because I have a talent for potions. I have my knick-knacks that aren’t in the book, I figured them in my own ways. He’s afraid someone dark might take advantage of it.”

“I figured from your conversation. Though I have to agree with Seonho, always be alarmed. They’re craftier and are in better disguise than you think.”

Seonho gives Sehun a quick ‘I told you so’ look before walking to the shelves of ingredients, taking away the note with him. Sehun then stares back at Jongin again, the gleam of curiosity Jongin saw in his eyes staying permanent.

Jongin guesses that Sehun is one curious kid, unable to be restraint from his desires for so long since he’ll wind up breaking it. A bit of recklessness inside of him but also, something potentially more to him too.

Truth be told, Jongin is _intrigued._

“How did you know my dad so well? He seems to be very friendly with you, and you’re not as old as him. Unless you’re in disguise, that is.”

“Let’s say one way or another, my grandparents had something to do with it. I’m a Kim.”

“The Kim?” And Jongin nods. “What did they do?”

“It’s not my place to tell you. I’ll see if time fits for me to tell.”

“And how will you tell me when you know it’s time?”

“Then I guess we have to stick together, don’t you think?”

It’s apparently not the answer Sehun had expected but he somehow almost knew that he’ll end up befriending the guy in front of him with the surname Kim. 

But unbeknownst to him, Sehun's lips curl into a knowing smile and Jongin smiles back at him too. He’s not sure where their path is going, but he sees it’s going to something thrilling and beautiful.

Sehun opens his mouth to utter a reply, but he stops when he feels a poke to his shoulder. He turns around to see his dad motioning for him to help with the ingredients.

“Hold on a sec.”

“I’ll look around, Sehun.”

While Sehun is busy helping out his dad, Jongin saunters around, looking at the series of potions decorating a glass covered shelf. He then lazily looks at a different set of cabinet shelves, reading the labels mindlessly. 

His mind suddenly comes up with an idea to play around with his compass. Jongin fishes out the compass, smoothing his thumb over the leather before he flips the cover open.

He doesn’t know what to ask or what exactly he was hoping for, but his gaze wanders to a glimpse of Sehun in the small hallway, and his mind jolts the word 'soulmates.'

The compass’s base starts rotating around, and Jongin almost died on the inside at the thought of possibly knowing who his soulmate is. He wants the compass to stop before it points to anyone, but it suddenly stays in a direction.

Jongin knows right then that he should just flip it back close, and find out his soulmate in his own ways, but a little of his mind contradicts him. The compass chose him for a reason.

_What if this is my way of finding who my soulmate is?_

Stomping around, Jongin groans in frustration, contemplating on whether he should pursue it. He spends what feels like ten minutes yet, in the end, he gives in and follows the direction of where it's pointing.

Jongin thinks in defense, _this compass might be wrong anyway._

He finds himself walking back to the counter, bumping into it when he’s too engrossed in the compass. Jongin stares at the arrow now pointing straight ahead and his fear is growing up in his head.

Sucking in a deep breath, Jongin peeks up to the mysterious person—who’s possibly his soulmate—and finds all the air sucked out of him. 

He looks down at the compass again, making sure he’s not seeing the wrong person but it stood still. Jongin’s eyes trail slowly from the arrow up to the person.

Sehun is there, staring back to a pale Jongin, with a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back with an update shfdhg I'm happy I updated sooner than I expected lol it's the little things guys
> 
> But yeah, if you read the summary, this chapter is the start of sekai's flashbacks, so you won't be getting any xiuchen in a few chapters ahead. Don't worry, they'll come back c:
> 
> As always, thank you for all the kudos and comments <3 Don't be shy if you wanna say hi on my twitter kkamjogin because I'm shy too ^^


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